NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Tells Staff He Was Unfaithful; Trump Backs Him
Jensen Huang emailed NVIDIA staff on Nov. 8 saying he was unfaithful to his wife, and Trump called him honorable. The board inquiry and the spy allegations about Alice Huang remain unproven.
Chips & Power DeskEdited by Ege Erten
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Follows our story: NVIDIA Board Opens Independent Probe Into CEO Jensen Huang Spy Reports
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang in an official company portrait.
Image: NVIDIA
Source · Press image from the NVIDIA newsroom, used for news reporting.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang told employees in an email on Nov. 8 that he was unfaithful to his wife, and President Donald Trump said the same day that he considers Huang "an honorable guy," according to CNBC, NBC News and Reuters.
CNBC quoted the email: "I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did." NBC News, which saw the memo, reported that Huang apologized and said he hoped to earn back the trust of his family and colleagues and remains fully committed to NVIDIA. CNBC reported that the email concerned a relationship with businesswoman Alice Huang, who is not related to him. An NVIDIA spokesperson said the news would not slow the company and that Huang will keep leading it without interruption, per NBC.
Trump spoke to reporters on Sunday, Reuters reported. "I have not spoken to him about it. I just know he's a fine person, but you never know what is going on," he said, adding that Huang "has done an amazing job for our country" and "probably has an excuse for it." Asked about a planned Asia trip, he said: "I don't know, but I'd certainly take him." NBC reported that Trump also said Huang should remain CEO.
Huang's Nov 8 staff email came between a Nov 5 House letter and a requested Nov 18 briefing, with NVIDIA earnings on Nov 17.
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NVIDIA Board Inquiry Into Jensen Huang: What Is New
Voltgrid reported earlier on Nov. 8 that NVIDIA's board had opened an independent inquiry. A committee of independent directors, with outside counsel, oversees it. The board said it has no reason to believe national security or NVIDIA secrets were compromised.
NBC News also reported that the New York Times wrote on Nov. 8 that concerns inside the US government about the two Huangs reached as high as Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Speaking to reporters in Florida on Sunday, Rubio said he could not comment because of the nature of the matter, according to NBC. Reuters' report on Trump's remarks did not mention Rubio.
Spy Allegations Against Alice Huang Remain Unproven
The espionage claims rest on press reports citing US officials. The New York Times and the Financial Times reported that US intelligence concluded Alice Huang, who runs a Singapore-based company that bought NVIDIA chips, was recruited by China's top intelligence agency, per NBC. An unnamed person told NBC the same. CNBC and NBC say they have not independently confirmed these claims. China's foreign ministry called the Oct. 30 version of the report groundless.
On Oct. 29, Huang told Bloomberg that his interactions with Alice Huang were business-related and normal, NBC reported. NVIDIA told the FT that Huang meets thousands of customer executives every year.
What to Watch Before NVIDIA's Nov. 17 Earnings
Three House Republican committee chairs wrote to Huang on Nov. 5 asking him to give a closed-door briefing on Nov. 18, CNBC reported; NBC said Representative John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, cited national security concerns. NVIDIA reports third-quarter earnings on Nov. 17. The inquiry has no announced timetable, and the board said it would provide updates as appropriate.
For investors and customers, the open questions are whether the committee finds any compromise of company information, and whether export-control scrutiny of NVIDIA's China-linked customers widens. Neither is established.
